Alleged chutzpah: DA says guy used backpack to beat man who then died, left it behind, called 911 to report it stolen

A homeless man was ordered held in lieu of $50,000 bail today on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the discovery of a dead man behind 1295 Boylston St. shortly after 4 a.m. yesterday, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Dominick Moran, 48, was not charged with murder. The medical examiner has determined the victim, 56, died of a heart attack, but is conducting additional tests to try to determine whether the heart attack can be linked to the beating, because his body does not show "overt signs of physical trauma," the DA's office says.

According to prosecutors, surveillance video appears to show the victim lying behind 1295 Boylston when he was approached by two men, one carrying a backpack, early yesterday morning:

The footage shows him engaging the victim in a physical altercation during which Moran allegedly beats him with the backpack and kicks him. The altercation lasts for some time but ends about 10 minutes before Moran left without his backpack.

Moran then called 911 to report he had been attacked by three men - one of whose description matched that of the actual victim - and robbed of his backpack, the DA's office says, adding police discovered the victim after responding to Moran's call and searching for his backpack.

In addition to whacking the victim with his backpack, which weighed about 20 pounds, Moran also kicked him, the DA's office says.

The altercation lasts for some time but ends about 10 minutes before Moran left without his backpack and called police to report the robbery.

Was it the guy that got drunk and would yell? We called him screaming guy. He once told me his name is Shawn Michael Reilly or O'Reilly. That is, if it was him. He was a white middle aged man with grey hair mostly, average height. He was drunk and spelled his name out, definitely S-H-A-W-N. I hope it wasn't him.